Drag You Down
by bgirlpaige
Summary: Edward killed himself to prevent Father from destroying the people of Amestris. Inside the Gate, the Real Truth takes pity on him, and when he is returned, his family and friends must uncover the mystery behind the new Ed. [Based from chapter 104]
1. Drag You Down: Prologue

_ Everything was dark. Dark was the only way he could describe it. Visibilty: zero. He didn't feel anything either. Like he was floating in the middle of space. Empty space. Not that he knew what space was like, but he assumed this was what it felt like._

_ It must have been years by the time the voice spoke to him. It didn't come from any certain direction. More like it was all around him._

_ "Welcome, Edward."_

_ "Where… am I?" His voice was new and strange. "And… who are you? Are you… God, or something?" The voice snickered._

_ "No, I'm not God. I'm far beneath any God. And you are inside the Gate."_

_ "The Gate?"_

_ "Yes, you came here after you died." Surprise crackled through his body._

_ "I died? I'm dead?" His voice trembled. A hand suddenly protruded from the darkness, a light grey with a luminescence about it. The hand was followed by an arm, which led up to a shoulder, a neck, and finally, a face. The face was soft and androgynous, presenting no obvious gender. Two grey eyes peered at him as the hand cupped his cheek. A half-smile quirked the face's mouth._

_ "Yes, Edward. You don't remember? No matter; I'll take care of you."_

_ "Take care of me? Who are you? And why am I here?" A grey finger was pressed to his lips._

_ "Shh…" The eyes softened and the being smiled gently. "I'm the Truth. The real Truth." Edward's golden eyes widened. He opened his mouth to voice his surprised, but the Truth shushed him again. "Don't worry, you're safe here." The grey hand stroked his hair, and he found the gesture oddly comforting. "You've met the Guardian, the little brat outside the Gate. He's the one who takes care of the Equivalent Exchange. I'm sure he made you believe he was the Truth. But he doesn't have the knowledge of the World. He only retains what people bring him. I, on the other hand, know _everything_."_

_ "But… how did… how did this happen? How did I get here?" The Truth smiled sadly and a second arm appeared, and he was pulled into a gentle embrace._

_ "You… you killed yourself."_


	2. Drag You Down: Chapter One

Winry sat at the kitchen table, listlessly stirring a spoon in her teacup. Alphonse sat across from her, fast asleep with his head buried in his arms. His shaggy brown hair, just reaching his shoulders, hid his face from view. She sighed. The eighteen year old was working himself into the ground with all the research and information he dug through daily.

"Mornin', brat," Pinako greeted, entering the kitchen and heading straight for the coffee pot. Winry lifted her head and gave a small smile.

"Do we have any appointments today?" she asked. Pinako shook her head.

"No, but Al's got a request to go into town and fix a shop that collapsed in the storm last week," the tiny woman replied. Winry nodded in acceptance and turned back to her tea.

"I think I'll go with him. I need to confirm an order with a customer, plus we should probably get some more food. We've only got about a few day's worth at the most," she explained. Pinako nodded.

"Well, there's money in the top drawer of my dresser if you go," the old lady said, then picked up her coffee cup, snatched the last banana, and headed out to the workshop.

It was hours later that Al woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Winry got up from her spot on the couch and went to answer. She pulled the door open to reveal who she recognized as Jean Havoc and Heymans Breda, both dressed in formal military uniform. Havoc was chewing on a toothpick.

"Hello, Winry. Is Alphonse in?" Winry opened her mouth to reply but Alphonse interrupted her.

"What is it?" he asked, stepping into the soldiers' view.

"We gotta take you in to Headquarters," Breda answered. "Miss Winry may also come with us." Alphonse frowned.

"What is this about?" Havoc let out a sigh.

"They found your brother, kid."

Ten minutes later, Al and Winry sat side by side in the back seat of the military car, while Havoc sat on the other side of Al. Breda drove and Pinako sat in the passenger's seat, claiming that Winry and Alphonse would go nowhere near Eastern Headquarters without her present.

"Winry…" Al whispered. Winry turned to look at her friend. "What do you think… I mean… He'd just be a skeleton now, right? I don't want to see his bones…" Al's voice cracked. Winry sighed and pulled him close. A few minutes later, a though occurred to her and she said it before she could think twice.

"I wonder if his automail is still attached…"

Al shoved her away in horror and anger.

XXXXXXX

"Right this way," a tall, dark-haired secretary called and gestured for them to follow her. Havoc and Breda followed behind the group. They came to a room and were let inside. Roy Mustang stood in front of his desk, awaiting their arrival. Alphonse noticed that the man had aged considerably over the past three years.

"Alphonse, Miss Winry, Miss Rockbell, thank you for coming so quickly," the General greeted.

"You… found my brother…" Alphonse whispered. Roy nodded. "Where…?

"In a small town just north of Dublith." The ebony and porcelain-featured man gestured for them to follow him out of the room and down the hall. "We ran DNA tests and checked dental records. He even ha automail. We just weren't completely sure at first because he looks different and hasn't said a thing." Alphonse frowned.

"What? Of course he hasn't said anything, he's dead!" Roy stopped and turned to stare into Al's bronze eyes. "Y-ou did… find his b-body, didn't you?" Roy sighed and pushed open a door.

"He look dead to you?"

XXXXXXX

Winry gasped. Well, it could have been Pinako, but Winry was too shocked to care at the moment. There, in the room seated at a table, was a young man with long, golden hair that flowed well past his shoulders. His face was turned towards the single window in the room, his bangs hiding his eyes from view. "Edward," Roy called. The young man turned, revealing golden eyes and delicate facial features; more refined and mature than Edward's had been at age 16, but still familiar. The golden eyes blinked expectantly.

XXXXXXX

"Edward?" Alphonse breathed, eyes wide and body shaking with disbelief. No response came from the blonde, but his head tipped to the side, eyes calculating. "Is it really you?"

"I told you, he hasn't said anything since we brought him in two days ago. The woman that owned the hotel we found him in said he'd never spoken a word to her in the two months he had stayed there," Roy explained. "It's really strange. He used to be so loud and crazy."

Edward seemed to lose interest in the commotion and turned his gaze back to the window. An automail hand came up and he propped his chin, bangs covering his face once again. Roy sighed. "He won't eat either. Just stares out the window."

"And you guys can't find any information on where he's been?" Al asked.

"Nope. No one saw him until he suddenly appeared at the hotel. That's it," Havoc answered. Al nodded, looking defeated. He looked up at the General.

"Can I go sit with him?" he asked pleadingly. Roy nodded, smiling sadly.

"Of course." Al walked further into the room, carefully taking a seat across from his brother. Winry could only stand in her place and watch.

"Ed?" Golden eyes focused on him. "Hey, Brother." Edward's slightly chapped lips curved up in a slight smile, eyes softening. He reached out his mechanical hand. Alphonse blinked for a moment before realizing what Edward was asking. He replied with a smile and setting his hand down in Edward's, folding his fingers over his brother's. Edward's smile widened a fraction before he turned away, back to the window.

Winry's heart clenched at the sight of Al's look of sadness and defeat.

**Happy Valentine's Day.**

**Yes, short chapters for the moment…**

**Review?**


	3. Drag You Down: Chapter Two

**Hi. I just now realized that the section dividers I had in the first chapter didn't show up, so it must have been difficult to read and understand the scene-changes. I'm working on uploading a modified version, but my computer is giving me problems, so hang tight. Now, chapter 2. Which I've tried to lengthen, just so you all know. Happy Valentine's Day, and ****happy birthday**** to **_**TheMarshmaloWizardGhostCookie**_**, who reviewed yesterday and asked for a new chapter as a b-day present.**

_A week after the reunion with Edward Elric, his friends and family decide it would be better for him to stay in the Rockbell house where they can keep an eye on him. He hasn't said a word the entire time, and psychological trauma a possible explanation, but no information can be gathered from Edward himself._

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"It hasn't changed much since you left," Al chatted away as he led Edward into the Rockbell home. "But since I'm working now and Winry's business is doing really good at the moment, we've been able to afford some nicer furniture." Edward didn't seem to take any interest in the house, only smiling at Al and heading toward the stairs. Al followed like an obedient puppy. Winry sighed and detoured to the kitchen. Pinako trailed behind her, pulling an almost empty carton of juice from the fridge before pulling out a bottle of vodka from underneath the sink. She mixed the two liquids and downed the beverage just as General Roy Mustang entered the room. Riza and Havoc were beside him. All three sat down at the table.

"So… I'll be checking in on Edward frequently," Roy told them. "I'm interested in whether he'll recover or not." Pinako scoffed.

"I don't want military dogs coming in and out of my house as they please," she snapped. Mustang held up his hands in surrender.

"Of course not, Ms. Rockbell. I assure you they would be announced visits, and not just any soldier. Only me and the members of my team whom I trust. Or, if you like, Havoc or Breda could even stay here or in a hotel nearby and keep me updated. Whichever is more convenient for you," he reasoned. Pinako scowled.

"Why don't you just leave the boy alone. I'm sure he's been through enough, serving under you for a good portion of his childhood. And now he's been missing for three years; can't you just leave him be?" Roy sighed.

"Ms. Rockbell, please understand. I am not concerned for him because of his value to the military. I'm concerned because he was and is member of my team, and he always will be. I am concerned for _him_ and his well-being, and I want to see him get better, even in the slightest," he explained. "I'd also like to see Alphonse recover. We all know he's been little more than an empty shell these past few years. I'm sure that having his brother back has helped, but Edward isn't really _back_ at the moment."

"But you can help, right? You can help him! The military has unlimited access to doctors and psychiatrists!" Winry exclaimed.

"The only problem is that if one of the low mongrels found out about Edward being alive and being here, they may report him in to the higher ups. He could be labeled as a deserter and fugitive. The old doctor that usually handled stuff like this for us died in a fire about six months ago, and we've yet to find anyone else we can trust for sure," Havoc supplied, gnawing on his toothpick. They all sat in silence for a while until Winry got up, claiming she was going to make lemonade for everyone.

"What if it's not curable?" All eyes turned to the door. Alphonse stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking exhausted.

"What do you mean, Al?" Roy asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Brother… gave himself to the Gate to save us and Amestris. What if this is the price he paid? If that's how it is then it's not just some sickness you can cure with medicine and therapy!" the younger Elric cried. Winry ran to his side and pulled him into a hug.

"Al, don't worry. We'll find a way, somehow, I'm sure of it! Just like you and Edward used to when you were looking to get your bodies back-" Al threw her arm off angrily.

"Yeah, well that never happened! I may have gotten my body back, but look at Brother! He was gone for three years, and now that he's back… He still has his automail, Winry! And now he… he can't talk or… All he does is stare into space!" Al's voice cracked, heavy with despair.

"Al…" Winry's eyes filled with tears and she reached up to place her hand on his shoulder. "I-"

"No!" Alphonse cried and lifted his own hand to smack her away, but a hand stopped him, gripping his wrist tightly. Edward appeared beside him, staring at him with his shining golden eyes, calculating Alphonse's facial features. "Brother…" Tears welled up in Al's own brown eyes and he collapsed against Edward's body. His shoulders shook with sobs. Edward wrapped his mismatched arms around the younger boy and led him over to the sofa in the parlor. He let Alphonse cry on his shoulder for a good ten minutes before the brunette fell into a light sleep. The kitchen's occupants observed as Edward gently stroked Al's messy hair and watched the boy sleep.

XXXXXXX

Al awoke to concerned whispers and the light clinking of dishware. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, wiping away any leftover sleep. He glanced around and found his brother beside him, asleep. Further inspection revealed that they were on the couch in the front room, and he had fallen asleep on his brother. He looked back to Edward. The older boy's golden hair, loose from any braid or ponytail, was messy and a bit knotted. Edward breathed evenly and there was no movement from underneath his eyelids, indicating a dreamless sleep. Al smiled as he took in his brother's innocent expression.

Throughout his years in the armour, Alphonse had seen many expressions on his brother's face while he slept, but all were sad and guilt-ridden. All of Edward's past would come back to him in his sleep, terrorizing him with nightmares and torturing him with memories of the years before the transmutation that had destroyed their childhood. Al hadn't seen_ this_ expression since before th death of their mother.

"Al, you're awake," Winry's concerned whisper called to him. "It's been a few hours. Why don't you come get something to eat?" Al blinked at her for a second before her words registered and he stood, careful not to disrupt Edward.

"Did you make something?" he asked his friend quietly. Winry nodded with a small smile.

"Ms. Hawkeye showed me how to make something her mother taught her when she was a girl. It's a type of soup, and you guys have always like soup and stew, so I'm sure you'll love it," she told him. She turned and headed back into the kitchen.

"Winry?" She paused and turned. "I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what came over me, I-"

"Don't worry about it, Al. I know this is very difficult to get used to. Now come on, I'm sure you're starving." She sent him another smile and took his hand, pulling him into the kitchen.

She had been right, the soup was delicious. Even more so when he realized just how hungry he actually was. Both Winry and Riza smiled when he asked for a second portion, and then a third.

"So, Alphonse," Roy said, catching his attention, "I was thinking that, when Edward is fully settled in, we should see if he can still do alchemy, and if he can, then if his skills are the level as they were before he disappeared." Al nodded slowly.

"Well…" he started, "Edward got a good part of his skills from when he saw the Gate. So… if he did see the Gate again, there's the possibility that his skills are even greater, or that they were taken completely as Equivalent Exchange." He laughed softly. "But I'm sure Edward would have killed himself had that happened. Alchemy is his life. Even if things hadn't happened the way they did back them, he probably would have become a famous alchemist, anyway." Winry laughed.

"Yes, remember when you guys showed me and Gran for the first time? I was so scared of it. It was the first time I'd seen any alchemy!" she giggled. Alphonse grinned.

"And all we did was make you a doll**(1)**, but you acted like it was some sort of demon coming to get you!" Collective laughter echoed through the kitchen, and light conversation filed the room. I was about half an hour later that Edward stumbled in, looking half asleep. He greeted everyone with a smile, this one showing the slightest bit of teeth, nothing like the crazy, maniacal grin he used to scare away opponents with. But this new smile seemed to fit just as well.

"Edward, General Mustang was saying that if you feel up to it, we'd like to know if you can still do alchemy, and if you can, we'd like to see how your skills are now," Alphonse informed the older Elric. Edward looked up to the ceiling and tapped his chin with and automail finger, seeming to come to a decision when he nodded in Al's direction.

"Umm… Edward? Are you hungry?" Winry asked. Edward gave her a half-hearted glance and shook his head once. He turned to the counter and poured himself a cup of lemonade. "So… that's a no? We made it special, you know, the soup. Riza made it with me. I was hoping you'd try some…" She held out a steaming bowl. Edward looked down at the contents, then looked up with an apologetic look. He shook his head again. "Not even one spoonful?" A soft sigh blew through the young man's lips and he held out his left hand. Winry's face lit up and she handed him the bowl eagerly. He sat down at the table beside Al, giving the younger a soft nudge in the ribs to make him scoot over on the bench. A spoon was thrust in front of him, so he took it and scooped up a small amount of the thick soup. Winry –and Riza, silently- watched as he tested out the soup. Then took a second spoonful. He ate slowly until about a third of the bowl was gone, then set the spoon down and sent a look toward Winry, as if asking for approval. Winry grinned excitedly.

"Don't worry about, that's plenty. Did you like it?" Edward nodded his head, but as Alphonse watched from the corner of his eye, Edward's expression held the slightest bit of disgust.

XXXXXXX

An hour later, he found his older brother behind the house, emptying his stomach of the soup. "Edward? Are you okay?" He hurried to the other's side. Edward was reduced to dry heaving, his stomach now empty. "Geez, if you're feeling sick, why didn't you let anyone know?"

Edward's flesh hand gripped his brother's shirt while Al rubbed his back gently. The younger was pleased to see that Edward had managed to pull his lengthy hair back before he could get any vomit in the strands. After a few minutes, Edward's stomach finally gave up and stilled. The nineteen year old sank to his knees, pulling Al with him. Alphonse gathered Edward's noticeably thin form in his arms, letting his big brother rest against his chest. Al stifled a small smirk. Edward was still smaller than him, after all these years.

"Are you still feeling sick?" he asked quietly. Edward's head shook in response. "No… so it was just an upset stomach?" He didn't get any response, vocal nor gesture, to that question. He sighed and rested his head on the top of Edward's. They sat like that for a few minutes before Al shivered, just noticing a chill that had blown in on a breeze. "Okay, why don't we go inside now?" he suggested. Edward pushed himself upright and out of Al's embrace. He stood and pulled Al up next to him. "Thanks." They began to walk around to the front door. Al would tell Winry that they had gone for a walk if she asked. Then a noise caught his attention. Or a tune, rather. He stopped and turned to look at the other boy.

Edward was staring upwards as he walked and had one hand out to the side of him. His mechanical hand. And the fingers were threading through the air as he walked, strange trails of almost invisible light flowing off of them. And a light, musical tone accompanied the light. "Edward?" Edward stopped and turned, dropping his hand. The music ceased. "Edward, that music…" Edward blinked, glanced down at his hand, and his face lit up. He snatched Alphonse's own fingers and began to drag him down the path away from the house. Al recognized it as the way down to the river that ran along the edge of the Rockbell property. When they reached the water's edge, Edward halted and stepped away from Al.

Alphonse watched in confusion and curiosity when Edward lifted both arms. The blonde's expression said_, _"_Look. Watch what I can do_." Just as a child's would when showing his mother a new trick. Edward held his arms out over the water and looked skywards toward the few clouds that spotted the summer sky. Nothing happened for a minute or so, but the Al's hands shot to his mouth to stifle his gasp.

Small wisps of water began to rise from the river's smooth surface. Alphonse looked on in amazement as the strands of water swirled through the air. Soft music reached his ears, and it took him a minute to realize that the light wind that had picked up was blowing against the water, making sounds as if someone was tracing their finger over the curve of a wine glass. It took all Al had to look away from the spectacle and to his brother. Edward's eyes were closed and his head lilted to the music. His arms moved in tiny movements, conducting the watery orchestra.

After what seemed like ages but was all too soon, Edward dropped his arms, letting the water threads splash back into the river. No more music. Edward turned to Alphonse, a childish smile on his ace. _"Did you like it?"_

"Edward…" Alphonse breathed. "That was… amazing…" Edward smiled a grin that reached his eyes, golden pools sparkling with excitement. Alphonse returned the smile, though not as brilliantly as Edward's, he though. "You should show Winry, she'd love it. And what was that? How did you do it?" Edward sighed, offering no explanation, and tucked a loose strand of golden hair behind his ear. Alphonse mimicked the sigh. "Well, we should be going back. Winry is getting really over-protective…"

Edward offered no smile, only reached for Al's hand and started off toward the house little brother in tow.

XXXXXXX

**1) I'm referring to the scene in the first anime series, where Ed and Al make Winry a doll with alchemy, but she gets frightened. I'm not sure if this is in the manga or not.**

XXXXXXX

**Again, I'm working on fixing the other chapter. **

**Also, know that I don't fit to any schedule for updating since I wouldn't follow it anyways. That just results in me not wanting to write. So updates will be random and sporadic. So you gotta stay tuned. XP**

**You review, I write. Equivalent Exchange, people.**


	4. Drag You Down: Chapter Three

**Hello. I was planning on typing/posting this earlier this morning, but I was having a hard time concentrating. I actually took my license test today, and passed, so I'm a licensed driver now. Anyways, here's chapter 3, which I wrote last night on paper around 11pm. Enjoy.**

_Edward disappears and everything that has happened is taking its toll on Alphonse. The mystery of Edward's strange behaviour progresses._

The next day, Edward was nowhere to be found. Al and Winry scrambled from place to place, searching every nook and cranny of the entire property. Pinako busied herself by calling friends and neighbors, asking if they had seen a short, girly-looking boy with blonde hair wandering around.

Alphonse had sensed something was wrong the night before, after he and Edward had come in from the riverbed. Al had encouraged his brother to show the musical magic or whatever it was to Winry and the others, but Edward had frozen up, acting like a shy little boy in front of a crowd hundreds strong. Al had encouraged him maybe a little too strongly, because the evening ended with the golden-haired man bolting up the stairs and locking himself in his room before Alphonse could follow. Roy and his team members departed, heading off to the small hotel they would be staying at for the time being. Al had been surprised. Edward's display of shyness and slight distress was the first sign of anything other than the calm and complacent demeanor that emanated from the older boy.

Al spent a good hour pleading to a closed door before he finally gave up and went to bed. When he woke up the next morning, Edward's door was ajar and he was gone.

"I don't understand! Where could he have possibly gone?!" Winry cried. "It's not like there's anything to _do_ in Risembul!" Her voice was laced with worry. Alphonse groaned and tugged his hair in frustration. Edward wasn't by the river-Al had checked already. He wasn't in the barn, nor was he at the graveyard on the other side of the hill where Trisha Elric was buried.

Pinako appeared on the house's porch, shaking her head to Winry and Al's hopeful looks. "Mr. Mustang and Ms. Riza haven't seen him, but Havoc was sent out to look. Riza said that she and the General both have work that cannot be abandoned at the moment, and they'll join the search as soon as possible," the small woman reported. Al moaned, disheartened. Winry wrapped an arm around him, intending to comfort but not really helping.

He had just gotten his brother back; he didn't want to lose him again! And so soon?

Two hours later, just as the outside temperature was reaching its peak, Roy and his lieutenants arrived, sans military car. Roy and Havoc did not look happy about the two mile walk from town. "That brat is starting to be more trouble than he's worth!" the General muttered, wiping sweat from his damp forehead. Havoc ground his toothpick between his teeth. Alphonse could see that the ex-smoker's decision to quit was taking its toll on him.

"The boss probably took off. Who knows what' running through that messed up head of his," the 2nd lieutenant growled.

"Don't say that!" Al snapped angrily, glaring. Roy sighed and let himself flop tiredly onto the stairs. Riza made her way up said stairs and took a seat on one of the mismatched lawn chairs, obligingly scratching Den's furry ears when Pinako's old dog set her muzzle on the blonde woman's knees. Alphonse walked up the steps and into the house, deciding to get drinks for him and Winry to provide himself with a distraction momentarily. He was just returning the pitcher of lemonade to the refrigerator when he heard Winry's shrill shriek.

"Edward! Where the hell have you been?!" Forgetting the drinks, Alphonse sprinted back ut to the porch to see Edward casually strolling up the path. The older Elric held up a hand in greeting and was caught in surprise when his brother slammed into his chest, capturing him in a death grip.

"Brother, where have you been?! I was so worried!" Al cried. He pulled back to stare at Edward's smiling face. The older grinned.

"Relax, Al."

The responsive gasp was collective. Everyone was shocked. Al's wide eyes blinked at Edward. "B-brother?" Edward blinked back.

"What is it?"

"You talked!" Al exclaimed, pulling Edward into a tight hug. Edward only laughed lightly.

"Oh, that? Yeah, Al, listen… It's going to be like that sometimes…" Al frowned, confused.

"'Like that'? You mean… I finally have you back, but half the time you're going to act like some sort of child? Explain it to me, Brother!" Edward pushed him away gently.

"No, Al, it's… I… I can't explain it, but that's just how it's going to be. Just… isn't it enough… isn't enough that I'm back?" Edward's voice was filled with hope and maybe desperation. And fear?

At that point, Alphonse had no idea what took over him, and later on, when he would reflect, he still wouldn't have any idea of why he did what he did, nor would he find an excuse.

Pinako, Winry, Roy, Riza, and Havoc could only watch, stunned, as he gripped his brother's mismatched arms angrily and shouted, "Can't explain it? You mean to tell me that you went missing for three years, leaving me to think that you're dead, a now that you're back, you give no explanation?!" Edward's eyes widened and his face paled as Al gave him a good shake, and the younger pretended not to notice the nervous tremble in his brother's body. He was too angry right now. "For the past week, you've been acting like some… mentally challenged kid! And you can suddenly do these _things_, like magic, and then you go missing, and now suddenly you're back to normal!" Edward looked hurt as he stared into Al's rage-filled face. Alphonse gave him another rough shake. "After all this, I think I _deserve_ and explanation, Edward!"

At that, Edward shoved his hands off with his automail arm. "I'm sorry, Al, but it's either _this-_" he gestured to himself, "or me being _dead_, Alphonse! I'm sorry I can't give you an explanation, because I just _can't_, but… _I'm back_! And I'd hoped that that would be enough for you! Because I thought my brother would always, always love me, no matter how I act or how crazy or messed I am!" Then Edward abruptly whirled around and stalked down the path, visibly shaking in a mix of anger, frustration, and hurt. Al stared at his feet, frozen in place and teeming with his own anger. He only glanced up in surprise when Edward's for appeared next to him, brushing by quickly.

"Wrong way," the golden-haired brother mumbled, marching up the steps past shocked spectators and into the house. The door slammed behind him. Nothing but silence was heard until Pinako spoke up.

"Lemonade, anyone?"

**XXXXXXX**

Pinako waited until things had settled down before she sat on the sofa beside the spot Edward now occupied. Al had retreated to his bedroom, Roy and Havoc disappeared, and Winry had taken Riza out to the workshop and was explaining the basics of automail to the gun specialist. Edward was curled in the corner of the couch, string off into space. Pinako held out a glass of fresh lemonade, which the younger man took with a small 'thank you'.

"So… where'd you run off to, runt?" Edward huffed.

"Hey, I've actually _grown_, you know. I think you've actually shrunk a little, old lady!" he pouted. Pinako chuckled.

"Fine then, not-_as_-small runt, where'd you go? Nearly gave Al and Winry each a heart attack." Edward sighed, running his left hand through messy bangs. She noticed his hair was pulled into a ponytail, unlike the loose, untied style he had worn for the past week.

"I only went or a walk. I cut through the neighbors corn fields a bit. It was only to clear my head. I would have told someone if I knew everyone would freak out like this," he told her. Pinako raised an eyebrow.

"And this clearing of the head sparked a miraculous recovery?" The tiny mechanic didn't expect Edward's insulted glare.

"It wasn't a _recovery_. This isn't some medical condition or sickness or disability. Sometimes, I'll be like I am right now, and then sometimes I'll be like I was for the past week. That's just how it is. You all will have to just get used to it. _Alphonse_ will have to get used to it! And if you can't, I'll just leave." Edward turned away and started to chug down his lemonade. He hissed when the lemon juice burned his chapped lips.

"Well, then, can I ask if there's a reason you can't give any reason for why you're like this?" Edward paused and set the glass down on the wooden coffee table in front of him. "Are you in trouble? I'm sure that Mustang fellow could pull some strings," she suggested. Edward's mouth curled in a small smirk.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's… more alike a promise. A promise I made to someone special, and they made a promise to me. And I intend to keep that promise."

"Someone special? A girlfriend?" Pinako asked. Edward laughed and shook his head. "Boyfriend?" He laughed even harder.

"Nope! More like a best friend." He grinned at her. The bright smile she had missed terribly for the past three years. But she'd never admit that.

"So, I guess that's all you're going to tell me." The grin brightened.

"You got it, old lady." Pinako chuckled, lifting her arm and reaching over. She set her hand on his head affectionately.

"Maybe you have grown, runt."

**XXXXXXX**

**Ta daa! Chapter 3. **

**See, Edward's still here, cheekiness and everything. **

**Well, I'm going to drive myself to soccer practice now! Haha, yeah, I'm excited.**

**Read and review, that's how it goes. Well, if you want me to write, that is. ;P**

**.bgirlpaige**


	5. Drag You Down: Chapter Four

**Sorry for the delay…**

**I had the majority of this typed out on Monday, then got really busy through the week, and when I opened it to finish typing, then the electricity went out and the damn thing erased itself. It didn't auto-save like it usually does, so I don't know. I don't feel like figuring it out, so I'm just retyping the chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

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_"What's wrong?"_

_Edward looked up to see Truth's shimmering form in front of him, a concerned expression on his face __**(1)**__. Edward sighed, shrugging with on shoulder._

_"It's nothing…" he lied out of habit, resting his chin on the palm on his hand. Truth let out an amused hum and ruffled Edward's loose hair._

_"It's not 'nothing'. You miss your old world," he said. A chair materialized and he took a seat beside his companion. "You want to see your brother, yes?"_

_"Of course I want to see him!" Edward mumbled. "I miss him! I miss Alphonse, and Winry, and Pinako and that dog. And all the guys from Headquarters, like Havoc and Fuery. And then there's Hawkeye, and maybe even the bastard colonel-"_

_"He's a General now, remember?" Truth laughed. Edward snorted._

_"He _is_ a bastard!" the blonde cried, a smirk twisting his lips for a second before his frown returned. And then there's everyone else, like Mrs. Hughes and her daughter, the weirdo Major Armstrong and his crew, Broche and Ross, and Bookworm-Schiesca-"_

_"And alchemy." Edward sighed at Truth's comment, looking down at his (still) mismatched hands._

_"Yeah, definitely alchemy. I mean, how stupid is it that we're inside the _Gate_ of all places, with all the knowledge in the _universe_, and we can't do _anything_ with it!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "I would gladly give up another frickin' arm or leg just to get_ out_ of here!"_

_Even though he was flailing about angrily, Edward didn't miss the split-second look of hurt that flashed across Truth's flawless face. He knew what that look meant._

'Is there something wrong with me? Aren't I enough?'

_Truth had a big problem with self-esteem. The Guardian took all of that._

_He reached out with his mechanical hand and set it on Truth's own slender fingers, offering his friend a reassuring smile. Truth returned the smile, and a light, ringing hum was Edward's notice that he was forgiven._

XXXXXXX

Edward groaned in irritation when Roy Mustang took a seat at the kitchen table across with him. The blonde did his best to ignore the man, pushing a lump of mashed potatoes about his plate with a fork. Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong with the food?" the man asked. He had helped make it, himself, when Pinako had roped him in to helping around the house. The inn had kicked them out two days ago when Havoc accidentally set the innkeeper's coat on fire while playing with his lighter. The man's lack of nicotine had turned into annoying little habits, such as twirling his lighter around and drumming his fingers.

"No, the food's great. I'm just not hungry, and my stomach is hurting…" Edward replied, setting down the utensil.

"Not hungry? From what I hear from Winry, you've barely eaten a thing in the past week. What happened to that huge appetite you used to have? The one that ran up bills on your military salary?" Edward only answered with a shrug. "Well, you'll have to start eating more pretty soon. But anyway, other matters… I was meaning to-"

"Questions? Come on, bastard, not right now. I don't feel good, my stomach hurts, and I'm starting to get a headache. I'd rather not think about anything right now…" the younger alchemist muttered, touching his flesh hand to his forehead.

"Fine then, no questions. Can you at least show us your alchemy? It'll only take a few minutes. And Alphonse was going on about some sort of magic?" Edward sighed and pushed himself up from the table, carrying the still full plate of food over to the kitchen counter. He covered it and placed it in the fridge before turning and leading the way out the front door. Roy followed.

"I'll show you my alchemy, but I can't show you the magic right now, but I'm sure you'll see it eventually," Edward said as they walked outside and into the front yard. Alphonse, still testy from the argument he and Edward had gotten into a few days back. The older Elric stopped in the middle of the yard, surveying the ground. "So, what do you want to see?"

"Well, I'm not sure."

"How about a statue of me?!" Winry giggled as she suddenly appeared, holding a box of tools and metal parts. Edward laughed lightly as she struck a pose.

"Okay then, one automail fanatic replica, coming up." They all waited for the legendary clap, but Edward simply dropped to the ground and lightly touched the dirt with his fingers. Instead of the lightning-esque light that usually erupted during Edward's transmutations, a sparkling white light poured from his fingers smoothly. The ground fractured before it opened up and a mound of rock rose out. The light spread, bits and pieces of rubble falling away from the rock. When the light faded, a perfect copy of Winry stood in the middle of the yard. After getting over her slight shock, Winry stepped forward and inspected the statue. "What do you think?" Edward frowned, making a sound of disapproval. "Something wrong?'

"Hey!" She cried. "I'm bigger than that!" She gestured to the statue's chest. Roy raised an eyebrow and Ed slapped his flesh hand to his forehead.

"Brother?" Al's voice called shakily. Ed turned, a hopeful look o his face. He had been trying to talk to Al all the time, since the fight, but Al had been stubborn. Now that Al was calling out to him, he was all the more eager to communicate with his brother.

"Yeah, Al?"

"How'd you do that? You didn't use a circle, but you didn't clap your hands, either!" Alphonse exclaimed, astonished.

"Yeah, I thought your hands symbolized the transmutation circle," Roy added. Edward smiled and tapped his temple lightly with and automail finger.

"It's all in here. If I could, I would explain it to you guys, but I'm really not up to it at the moment, and I wouldn't be able to explain it in a way for you to understand, anyways."

"What, we're too stupid or something? If you learned it, then so can I, Brother!" Al said furiously. The younger whirled around and began to stalk back toward the house.

"No, wait, Al! It's not like that! Wait!" Edward began to chase after the eighteen-year-old, but Roy grabbed him by the arm. "Colonel?" Confused golden eyes stared up at him. Roy sighed. Even though Roy had made it apparent that he had been reported, Ed still called him...

"Let Al cool down before you talk to him. He'll listen better when he isn't angry." Ed nodded, looking defeated. "But why can't Al and I learn it as well?"

"It's… it's really… just…" Edward's bangs hid his face as he looked down at the ground.

"Just what?" Edward didn't respond. "Edward? Hey, Ed!" Roy reached up and placed his hand on Edward's head, tilting it up so he could see the young man's face. Edward smiled at him suddenly. Roy frowned. Were Edward's eyes… flickering?

"Sorry, Colonel Bastard, but we'll have to continue this later. Time's up."

And then Edward's eyes were a soft gold, completely unlike the fiery amber everyone loved. His whole demeanor changed, and suddenly he was back to the way he had been when they had first found him. Quiet, polite, and friendly.

XXXXXXX

"And just like that, he was… gone?" Al whispered in shock. Roy nodded, gaze flicking over to where Edward was curled up in the corner of the couch, asleep.

"Yeah, it was so… just… weird. And it was like… he was fading in and out."

"So like… maybe… he can only communicate sometimes, depending on the situation…" Winry suggested.

They were all crowded around the kitchen table, them being Roy, Winry, Al, Pinako, and that ever-present dog with the mechanical leg.

Roy shook his head. "No, it was more like… he knew it was coming."

"But what _is_ it? Some sort of… medical condition?" Winry cried, letting her forehead hit the table's surface. Pinako lit her pipe, and Roy was glad Havoc wasn't around at the moment. The old lady's smoking would have driven the lieutenant crazy.

"It seems like the only one who can tell us is Edward, himself, but even when he is able to carry a conversation, he isn't too willing to give up any information on the matter," the automail engineer muttered, blowing smoke out through her nose. The group sat in silence, each going over possible reasons for Edward's strange condition or behavior or whatever it could be.

XXXXXXX

**1) Truth doesn't have a concrete gender, but I am writing "him/his/he" because it's easier than writing anything more complicated or whatever.**

**X**

**It's raining outside. Which sucks… I have horses, and rain equals muddy horse corrals, which means more work for me when I clean the pens. It sucks. **

**Not as long as I would have liked. But oh well, I'm falling asleep. Pulled an all-nighter last night.**

**So, I'd really appreciate it if you guys would review. Reviews are good motivation for me to continue…**

**Review??**


	6. Drag You Down: Chapter Five

**Chapter One has been reposted, if you would like to go and reread it. It may make a little more sense now. I added in the scene dividers that didn't originally show up. Anyways, enjoy chapter 5.**

_Al's inner struggle commences, and Edward may have just found some salvation._

XXXXXXX

Al felt like curling up in a small corner and staying there for the rest of his life. What was _wrong_ with him? He didn't mean to yell, didn't mean to get angry at Edward. Not at all. He really wanted to just sit with Ed and talk with him, but whenever Edward said he couldn't tell Al what was going on. Al felt himself… just lose it. He got so mad. But he didn't want to be in the dark about the whole situation! What had happened to the times when he and Edward shared _everything_, from food to sleeping quarters and that one time they had to share a toothbrush?

Right that moment, from his spot on the bed, he could see Edward through the window. He was petting Den to keep her calm while Winry made some adjustments on the dog's automail leg. The unbound hair, neat clothing, and gentle smile indicated that Edward was currently _that_ Edward, the one that wasn't his brother. The strange, calm, and mute Edward that would overtake the real Edward. Alphonse had noticed that when Edward was back to his normal self, his hair was braided or pulled into a ponytail, and his clothes were rumpled and messy. And his smile was a big, cocky grin, instead of that light lift to the lips the _other_ Edward smile with. It was all just so weird!

"Hey, Al, I could use your help in the kitchen," Pinako said, suddenly appearing in his bedroom doorway. Al nodded and stood from the bed, following the old mechanic down the stairs to the kitchen. "I was thinking I'd make stew tonight. You and Ed have both always loved it, yes?"

"Yeah, that's right. Mom used to make it for us all the time," the brown-haired teen replied.

"Well, I can't promise that it will be as god as Trisha's, but I'm hoping it will be appetizing enough to get Edward to eat some. He's barely eaten anything these past few weeks, and I'm beginning to… be a bit concerned... for his height." No way in hell would Pinako Rockbell admit she was worried about the crazy blonde's health. Alphonse laughed.

"If anything got Ed to eat, it'd be stew!" he chuckled. Pinako snickered.

An hour later, Alphonse found himself confused and maybe a bit angry, but mostly frustrated. Edward was just staring into his bowl of stew like it was going to kill him if he let it anywhere near his mouth. "Something wrong, Brother?" Edward looked up and attempted a reassuring smile, but his face when his gaze returned to the stew was anything but reassuring.

"Ed, Al and Gran made this stew especially for you," Winry half-pleaded. "Please, won't you eat it? We're worried about your health." Her eyes watered, and Al knew that was one of his brother's weak spots. Winry and crying put together could get Edward to do anything.

Edward made a small, hesitant humming sound, but picked up the spoon. Winry smiled in approval and looked towards Al. "So, where are Miss Riza and the General?"

"Yes I was wondering why there were no mutts around, helping themselves to our food as they please," Pinako scowled. The engineer would never pass up a good chance to dis the military.

"Hawkeye said she had some work, and Mustang is trying to think of ways to help Edward with, you know, the whole dead thing. If the military finds out that he's here, he could be char-" Al was cut off when Edward suddenly choked, leaping from his seat and rushing over to the kitchen sink.

"Edward?" Winry cried worriedly. Edward coughed out every bit of the one spoonful of food he had eaten, hacking and then dry heaving into the sink. Al could see Edward's body seizing with convulsions. He was beside his brother in seconds.

"Brother, are you alright?" Edward sank to his knees, covering his mouth with his flesh hand as if that would stop the sickness. "Brother, you have to tell me if something's wrong! We can't help you if you don't let us know!" Golden eyes looked up into chocolate, trying to convey an apology, but Al was having none of it. "So, you still won't tell me, huh?" He felt himself growl angrily. "That's not _fair_, Brother!!" Edward's eyes widened ad became glassy, and Al would have investigated, but now he was so, so _angry_.

He tried to stop himself, he really did. But the anger… and the hurt… and then there was confusion… He reached forward and grabbed Edward's shoulders, feeling metal and flesh beneath his fingers. He vaguely registered the chill his hand got from the metal shoulder. "It's not _fair_, Brother!" he repeated, not really knowing what else to say to convey his feelings to the older Elric. His fingers dug into the shoulders. Edward would probably have bruises on his left shoulder. No, he definitely would have bruises.

"Al, stop! You're hurting him!" Winry tried to pull Al away, but the younger boy ignored her. She seemed far away to him, anyway.

"Tell me, Brother! What happened to Equivalent Exchange?! I went three years not knowing what had happened to my brother! Don't you think I should get some sort of explanation?! I'm tired of waiting! I want to know!" He gave Edward a good shake, making sure the alchemist was listening. "Brother, that's not _fair_!!"

And then Edward was shoving him away.

"Knock it off, Alphonse!" Golden eyes were suddenly dark and fiery with anger. "I told you 'no'! Explaining everything to you could mess everything up, and then I wouldn't be able to be here anymore!" Ed cried. Al was stunned. Edward had gone from _that_ Edward to _his_ Edward in a split second. Winry and Pinako were also speechless.

"B-Brother-"

"I'm tired of this, Al! I understand how you feel, but… you can't take your feeling out on people like that! It's been me before, and it hurts me then, but when you do that when it's like that… You can't do that, Al!" Edward was _furious_.

"When it's 'like that'? What the hell am I supposed to do?! You won't tell me anything! I don't know what happened to make things like this, but if you told me, then we could help you, Ed! I could help you get better! And then we-"

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Yes, yes there _is_, Brother! There's something _very _wrong! How can you even say-"

"Al! Al, please!" Edward sounded desperate. This screaming argument was taking its toll on both of the Elrics. "Can't you just accept me? Isn't it enough that you me back, at least for most of the time-"

"No! It's not enough! I want my brother back! _All _of my brother back!" Amidst the yelling and screaming, neither Al nor Ed registered the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"I'm sorry, Alphonse, but that can't happen! You're just going to have to deal with it, 'cause nothing's going to change!" Edward snapped. Al let out his own growl.

"I don't understand! You're _here_, right now! You're completely normal!"

"And that's not enough for you?" Edward's voice cracked with what sounded like disbelief and a hint of sadness thrown in.

"I want to help you! I want to help you get better!" At that, Edward snarled and shoved the younger out of the way as he leapt to his feet.

"There is nothing wrong with me!" was his parting cry as he dashed out of the kitchen and out the front door. Everything was silent for a moment until Al let out a frustrated scream.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!" All eyes turned to see one Izumi Curtis, complete with big, hulking husband shadow, standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms crossed and fury on her face. Al cowered in the corner.

XXXXXXX

When Izumi had gotten word from Pinako Rockbell that Edward Elric, beloved student and closest thing to a son she'd ever had, had suddenly turned up (and alive, to boot), she and Sig had jumped on the soonest possible train. After being held up for a bit because of Izumi's health, they had finally made it to Risembul. As she entered the house, she had expected to find a happy family, with Edward, Al, the blonde girl, and the automail mechanic sitting down to dinner and talking about their day with each other. Like a family, because that's what they were.

She hadn't expected to find Alphonse looking like he was ready to kill Edward, just as she hadn't expected to find Edward looking completely _distraught_. He was the overly-confident, crazy, life-loving kid she had been hoping and expecting to find.

_"There is nothing wrong with me!" _

After getting the main gist of the situation, including Edward's strange behavior over the past weeks, Izumi set out to find her former pupil. After convincing Sig she would be fine on her own, of course. She found the nineteen year old in the barn. She was about to open her mouth and say something, but Edward's voice suddenly stopped her.

"Okay, calm down! It's okay, calm down! Al's just…" Edward was pacing by a stack of hay bales. Izumi didn't see anyone else around, and she was going to speak up when Edward started speaking again. "I _know_, okay?! But it's not like I can do anything about it! And it's not my fault that Al scares you! He's normally not like that. He's just upset, but if he knew and those guys-" Edward abruptly stopped and clutched at his hair. Izumi realized that the young man was actually having a conversation with someone… but there was no one around. Was… was Edward actually going insane?

"No, I wish I could! But there's nothing I can do! He just wants to know why it has to be like this. If I could tell him, I would! Then he probably wouldn't… hate me so much…"

_Okay_, time to intervene.

"And why the hell would you think Al hates you?!" Izumi bellowed, suddenly looming over the (still shorter, Izumi noticed with an inward snicker) blonde. Edward was frozen, a classic 'dear in the healights' expression on his androgynous features.

"T-Teacher…?" he stuttered in shock. Izumi sighed and sat down on a stray bale.

"Edward, how could you ever think that Al would hate you?" she asked, going for a more gentle approach. Edward fidgeted and stared at the ground in shame.

"I-I know he doesn't, deep down… but sometimes… sometimes… It's just…"

"Have you guys argued like that before?" the dreadlocked woman asked. Edward shrugged, which basically meant 'yes'. Izumi sent Edward an accusing look.

"I don't want to argue! Really, I don't! But he pushes and pushes, and screams at me when I don't tell him, and there's only so much I can take!" The blonde let himself fall to his knees in defeat. Izumi reached over and set a hand on his head, gently ruffling his hair.

"Edward, you know your brother loves you. He just wants to help," she told him. Edward smiled sadly.

"I know, but I can't tell him, I can't! He wouldn't understand! And then there are these _conditions_, and then… Al wants me to explain my alchemy, and all the knowledge I have in my head. But he wouldn't get it! All the things I know, it's from the Gate, and Al wouldn't understand it because he doesn't remember the Gate! Teacher, you know how the Gate's knowledge is! It can't be explained, no to people who-" Edward froze. Izumi was about to question him when his face suddenly lit up and a hysterical laugh burst from his lips. "Teacher!" the young alchemist cried. Izumi blinked.

"Edward…?"

"You know! You _know_!" And he was suddenly flinging his arms around her. "Al doesn't know, because he doesn't remember, but _you _know! You'd understand! Telling Al would mess up everything but you _know_ so…" Edward had tears spilling down his cheeks, but his expressions told her they were tears of happiness, excitement, and relief.

"Edward, what…"

"Now I just have to convince him that it's okay, and then everything will be so much better!"

"Him? Is that who you were talking to earlier?" Izumi asked. Edward blinked.

"Oh… You heard all that?" Izumi nodded. Edward chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I'm not crazy, I swear!"

XXXXXXX

Winry let herself fall onto the couch, nearly collapsing in relief when Izumi walked in, dragging Edward behind her by his flesh hand. Edward was whimpering from the force of her grip, and Winry could see that her friend had a big red mark smack in the middle of his forehead. She was relieved all the same. The aspiring automail engineer had learned from Al that the self-dubbed 'housewife' had a tendency to express her affection for the boys with violence and discipline. But it must be an effective way, because the boys adored her.

Izumi practically threw Edward onto the couch before heading into the kitchen. Pinako had offered coffee, and Izumi thought it was about time she returned to her husband before he had a panic attack. Edward curled up in the corner of the couch, chewing on his thumbnail and staring off into space. Lately, he had been very fond of that corner, though Winry couldn't imagine why.

"Edward?" Golden eyes looked over to her, questioning. "Is… Is everything alright?" Edward blinked.

"Oh, uh… yeah, it will be. Very soon," he told her. Winry twiddled her thumbs.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, Win. I promise." He grinned that grin she had always adored, and Winry knew everything would be okay, eventually.

XXXXXXX

**Okay, to clear things up, I decided that Al has no concrete memory of the Gate, because this is just easier and saves me a ton of headache.**

**Second, Al and Ed's argument may sound a bit crazy, but you know, people do get pretty irrational when they're angry. **

**So, I wanted to get this up before I left to go to the premiere of Alice. I'm on Independent Study, so yeah, I can go to stuff like this on a school night, haha. Now, story-wise, these chapters are only the beginning, to kind of string you guys in to the story. This is like… the flatlands before you start climbing the mountain.**

**I tried to make this chapter longer, okay?! I have a habit of writing my stories in pieces, like random scenes, so when I want to post them, I have to stick on little bits and pieces to make it readable. So sorry if it sounds really choppy.**

**LAST THING: Yes, Al is kinda being a pain right now. Don't worry, that should be resolved soon. But wait til you read just how I… create it, I guess, haha! **

**REVIEW? PLEASE? **

**Reviews are motivation.**


	7. Drag You Down: Chapter Six

**I think there were some technical problems or something. I posted this chapter yesterday, but when I checked the story today (I always check to make sure everything looks okay and to catch mistakes) I realized that there was **_**no chapter 7**_**. So a bunch of you got notified for a non-update update. Sorry about that!**

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**Chapter Seven**

_Edward explains and it's hard for even Izumi to understand._

It was well past midnight, three days later, when Edward flung himself into the guest room, shouting, "Teacher! Teacher!" in crazy excitement. Both Izumi and Sig were up in seconds, the large hulk of a man quickly catching the intruder in a headlock. "Ow, hey! That hurts, that hurts!" Edward complained.

"Sig, darling, don't worry about it. I'm supposed to have a talk with him," the dreadlocked alchemist reassured her husband. Sig gave Edward an affectionate rub on his head before releasing the young blonde. "Now, Edward, since you have so kindly barged in here at this ungodly hour, this better be good." Edward chuckled nervously.

Ten minutes later, Edward sat at the kitchen table while Izumi made herself a cup of coffee and searched the cupboards for some sort of biscuit or treat. Edward had assured her that he wasn't hungry, then promised to explain when she cast him a worried look.

"So," she said as she took a seat at the table, "explain." Edward let out a laugh, and Izumi detected fear. Edward was scared about telling her everything. She sighed. "Edward, don't worry. It'll be fine. Just start wherever you feel comfortable." Edward smiled and fiddled a bit.

"You have no idea what I had to do to get permission to tell you."

"Permission?"

"Well it was more like a bargain. But uh… I guess we should start with what happened with that Father guy… and when he tried to use us as sacrifices to become God or whatever."

"When you-"

"Yeah."Edward cut her off. His fists clenched and Izumi felt like a third hand had clenched around her heart. That day… had been so hard on everyone. Not seeing Edward's almost-obnoxiously golden hair after that day… it was like the sun had fallen from the sky. But that day, it must have been the hardest on Edward. Izumi didn't know the whole story, at least not yet, but she understood that Edward had sacrificed himself for everyone. Well, Izumi figured, knowing firsthand of Edward's relatively simple logic and thinking, that Edward had only consciously saved his friends and family, but in the end, had saved all of Amestris. He had given up everything.

"Well, it was kind of a shot in the dark-"

"Isn't it always?" Izumi raised an eyebrow. Edward giggled childishly, something Izumi had noticed over the past few days, along with other things. Edward had picked up some interesting and weird little habits. She was glad, however, to see some tension ease from his mismatched shoulders.

"Yeah, well… anyway, without me, the guy didn't have a fifth sacrifice, and no one nearby had qualifications to replace me. So things were paused, at least for a little while. That's what I figured. And then I woke up in the Gate."

"Did the Truth take any payment?" Izumi asked quietly. A bolt of fear shot down her spine. Had Edward… given up even more?

"Well, this is where things get kinda strange. We both thought that the Truth was the grinning psycho in front of the Gate." Izumi blinked.

"That… wasn't the Truth?" Edward shook his head.

"He is what's known as the Guardian. He handles the immediate payment for actually arriving at the Gate. And that is supposed to serve as a physical reminder of the sins that were committed. He takes whatever he wants from what he sees. Such as my leg and then arm, and your insides. So we always have something to remind us of what we've done."

They sat in silence for a moment. Izumi was processing the information. "So, if that's not the Truth…"

"The Truth handles _Total Payment_. _Total Payment_ is the long-term punishment to people who commit ultimate crimes."

"And an example would be…"

"Well, the most obvious for you would be the fact that you cannot have children. That has a far greater emotional and mental impact then losing a few limbs. You were desperate to have a child, and when you attempted human transmutation, the Truth took away one of your most precious hopes." Edward leaned back in his chair and sighed. "As for Al and I, well, we lost our childhood."

"Your childhood…" Izumi repeated. Edward nodded, then chewed his lip for a second, another strange little habit Izumi had noticed earlier during the day. Chewing his lip, biting his nails, running fingers through his hair, and some other tiny quirks, all making the blonde seem years younger than he actually was, both physically and mentally.

"Yeah, well, that's pretty obvious with Al. He didn't get to play with other kids or do other little kid stuff, because of his armor. And, as you know, the military is no place for a kid, so I had to grow up really fast," the blonde explained.

"I'd stay you still have a bit of growing up to do, stupid apprentice. Unless you call your brash, run-in-without-thinking personality that of an adult," Izumi smirked. "And I think you could add a couple inches to your stature as well."

"Hey, I've grown, old lady! I'm like a full foot taller!"

"The full foot of an ant, maybe…" It was so fun to push his buttons.

"I am _not __**short**_!" Edward leapt out of his chair, shaking his fist. Izumi laughed, and Edward blinked before laughing along with her. It took a few minutes before they calmed down. Edward returned to his seat, still chuckling.

"So, did the Truth decide on a _Total Payment_ for you?"

"Ahh… well, not really. I mean, I guess what happened could be considered a _Total Payment_, but it wasn't really a punishment. Really, what more can you take from a kid who had already given up pretty much everything?" Edward told her. "Anyway, when I woke up inside the Gate, it was like floating in midair or something. And everything was dark. But then there was this person, who turned out to be the Truth. It was all really confusing, at first. I guess the Truth didn't really know what to do with me. No one had ever transmuted their own soul like I had before."

"So there wasn't any punishment?" Izumi asked. Edward shrugged.

"It might have been a punishment to anyone else. If it had been someone else, they would have probably gone crazy…"

"But you're already crazy," the dreadlocked alchemist spat. Edward giggled in that kiddish way again.

"I suppose you're right," he laughed. "so, the so-called 'punishment', since the Truth didn't know what to do with me, was to stay in the Gate and keep the Truth company." Izumi's eyes widened.

"Keep him company?" Edward nodded.

"Yeah. I guess being in a place like that for so long can be really lonely," the younger alchemist joked. This time Izumi didn't laugh. "It turned out to not be that bad. I think the worst thing about it was that I had access to all kinds of information and knowledge, you know, for alchemy, but alchemy isn't possible inside the gate. It was like being freezing and knowing how to make a fire, but having no material to make a fire with."

"So, you were stuck, with no alchemy, in some dark void with the Truth?"

"Oh, no. Whatever we wanted, you could materialize it out of thin air. Like, seriously, and entire house and furniture and everything. But it wasn't the same. Alchemy… with alchemy, you get that feeling, you know? Like, that hot spark of energy down inside your chest. But in the Gate… no such thing…" Izumi nodded in understanding.

"So, you weren't alone, and you weren't in some dark void of nothing. It wasn't too bad, I suppose…"

"Yeah, pretty much. But you know how much I love all of you guys," Edward grinned. "I missed you guys way too much to be gone forever."

"So the Truth let you come back?" Izumi asked.

"Kind of… Being alone with Truth, I really got to know him, and we got to be really good friends. So… I didn't really want to leave him, you know? 'Cause then he'd be all alone. He has a personality, actually. A really weird one, but still… he's a person. So… we came up with a… solution." Izumi froze. Horrid, horrid "solutions" were popping into her head. None of them were good and Edward was capable of all of them.

"Don't tell me you destroyed the Gate or something?" she blurted. Edward stared at her for a second, then broke into laughter.

"No, nothing like that! That's a little too drastic, even for me, isn't it?" he snickered.

_'Not really…'_ Izumi thought to herself.

"The solution we came up with was… to… kind of… combine our bodies into one."

"Combine…?"

"Well, yeah… Let me explain. The Truth couldn't exactly leave his position in the Gate, right? It's too important. So my physical body was combined with his… non-physical body, and now it's like my body harbors two personalities. It's not fair for me to be here while he's in the Gate, so we take turns. One of us takes control of the Gat while the other gets to be here. And Truth wouldn't be able to be here without a physical body…"

"So… you're the Truth?" Izumi whispered, unable to fully process what Edward was telling her.

"Only part-time, really…" the teen replied, scratching the back of his neck. "And Truth and I can communicate through our minds whenever we want, so neither of us is alone while we're in the Gate…"

"So Truth is… the personality that doesn't talk?" Edward nodded. "Wow… why doesn't he talk?" Izumi asked, not really able to think of anything else to say.

"He actually doesn't know how to. Not yet. He hasn't ever had a physical body, so he sounds really bad when he tries to talk. I help him practice…"

They both sat in silence for a while, Edward lost in his thoughts and Izumi taking in all that had been revealed to her. When Izumi felt the silence becoming awkward, she opened her mouth to speak, but Edward beat her to it.

"You know I couldn't talk for a while when I first got out of the Gate?" he mumbled.

"You couldn't talk either?"

"Nope. We only had to think to communicate in the Gate, and since I hadn't spoken in so long, it took me a good two weeks before I could say the simplest things…"

"When you first got out of the Gate… where were you? Central?"

"Actually, no. I actually ended up in this tiny shack around the southern border of Amestris. We actually used the energy from some alchemist's attempt at human mutation to get out of the Gate. Even though we had to eliminate the guy. He was trying to make an army…"

"You killed him?"

"Killed? No. _Eliminated_. It's the complete destruction of a soul. When someone dies, they pass on to wherever they're going. When you eliminate someone, they cease to exist…"

"And that only happens to some people?" Edward nodded.

"Yeah. Those with bad intentions. Like trying to create an army to take over the world. Like the humanoid dolls back in Central. Or like… bringing back someone for evil purposes. The motive is always analyzed. You and I had no evil intent. We only wished to bring back someone we loved."

"Oh. I see… You know, you haven't told me why you don't eat…" Izumi said, changing the topic.

"Why I don't… oh. That. Well, in the Gate, I didn't have to eat. Even now, my body doesn't need food to sustain itself. I get energy from transmutations that come through the Gate. I could eat food for enjoyment, but since my body isn't accustomed to it as of yet, eating only makes me sick."

Izumi nodded. It all made sense now. Well, most of it did. Edward yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "Speaking of energy, I'm pretty much out," he laughed. Izumi smiled. "I'm going to go to bed. It's not Truth's turn yet, so I actually get to sleep in my bed tonight." He stood and helped Izumi up as well. He wished her goodnight and turned to head up the stairs, but she caught his wrist. Bright golden eyes looked up at her in question. She then pulled him into a tight hug. It caught him by surprise, but then he relaxed into the embrace.

"I missed you, Edward," she told him. His hold on her tightened.

"I missed you, too, Teacher." When she let him go, he smiled. Really smiled. Smiled that bright, sunshine grin that everyone had missed so dearly. And she knew that he was really back. He son had returned.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**THIS ISN'T THE ENTIRE PLOT! THIS IS LIKE… FOREPLAY! ;]**

**Wow, sorry for such a long wait. You guys all know how real life is, right? Well, I've just had a lot going on. And I'd be like, "Okay, I'm going to update DYD today." And then it wouldn't happen.**

**So, sorry for keeping you waiting.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! =) They're motivation.**

**.bgirlpaige.**

**[ RIP LUCAS GIACONELLI ]**


	8. Drag You Down: Chapter Seven

**I made myself update before an entire YEAR went by. Sorry for such a delay. Things have been crazy. I'll talk about it after this chapter if anyone cares to know what's been going on.**

**If anyone wants to be my beta, let me know! Otherwise, suffer through the mistakes and typos this imperfect soul feeds you. ]**

**So, here's the next chapter of **_**Drag You Down**_**!**

…

_Alphonse begins to work through his emotional turmoil, and Edward gets some visitors._

* * *

**Chapter Eight (I think…)**

The sun was high in the sky when Edward shuffled down the stairs the next morning. He was in the middle of an enormous yawn as he walked into the kitchen, only to realize that the kitchen was in fact crowded, and every eye was on him. He blinked two tired, golden eyes at his friends, family, and many unfamiliar faces.

"Umm, good morning…?"

"Edward, these people are here to see you. They're all alchemists," Winry explained.

"Okay…" He turned to face the strangers. "What can I do for you?" A short, balding man with two simple transmutation circles tattooed onto his cheeks stepped forward.

"Edward Elric, my name is Stuart Maddison and this is my family. My wife, Jeanie, and my two sons, George and Franklin, and their families. And this is my daughter, Sonia," the man introduced. He moved to the side and pulled a short, tired-looking brunette woman in her early twenties to the front of the group. Edward was surprised to see that she had no fingers or thumbs on either of her hands. "She recently lost her son, Kale. She lost all of her fingers trying to revive him with alchemy." Maddison gave the woman a nudge.

"Mr. Elric, sir…" she gasped out. "My son was only four years old. He died when he was hit by an automobile. I lost my husband last year to sickness, and I couldn't bear to be without my son. You understand…" She was close to tears as she spoke. "When I tried to bring Kale back, I lost my fingers and thumbs."

"She was an artist, but now she can no longer paint," Maddison added.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Miss, but I don't see why you're here, exactly," Edward told her gently.

"There was a… person, inside the Doors. The one who took my fingers. He said… he said… that someone named Edward Elric…"

"The Guardian told you about me?" Edward asked. Sonia nodded, and Edward felt the beginning stages of panic begin to edge into his chest. "What exactly were you told?"

"That the man named Edward Elric could help me get my son back!" Sonia sobbed. "That you have something to do with the Doors."

"Brother, what is she talking about?" Alphonse asked, sounding genuinely curious. Edward groaned inwardly.

"Miss, I can't help you. I'm so sorry that you lost your son, but this isn't how the Gate works. I'm sorry, but I can't help you," the blonde apologized.

"You can't? Or you won't?" Maddison growled, taking a threatening step toward Edward. Ed met his stare with cold, golden eyes.

"Both. Now excuse me, but I just woke up and I would like to get some breakfast." He looked towards Winry. The mechanic looked ecstatic that Edward was asking for food. He received a raised eyebrow from Izumi, and Alphonse latched on to him as soon as he got close enough.

"Everything okay, Brother?" the younger blonde asked. Edward smiled and nodded, happy that Alphonse wasn't trying to pick a fight. "What did she mean, about the Gate?" he asked.

"I'll have to tell you later, Al. Right now, I have to make sure Winry won't make me anything that'll make me sick, alright?" Al nodded and hooked his arm through Edward's mechanical elbow. Pinako was left to deal with the visitors.

"You said you travelled a long ways. I can offer you and your family one of our spare bedrooms, and I might be able to clear a second one for you. There's also an inn in town, just a ways that way," the old woman informed them, gesturing toward Risembool.

"That's very kind of you," Maddison's wife said graciously. "If it's not too much trouble, could a few of us room here while the rest of our family goes to the inn? We don't have much money, and it would be nice to save a bit." Pinako nodded.

"I will have to ask that you help out and work around the property, but I won't charge you money to stay here."

"Splendid," Jeanie agreed, clasping her hands together. "The countryside really is beautiful. We live near the southern edge of Central, and we came by wagon. Travelling is such a hassle, and we couldn't afford to take the whole family by train."

"Alright, well I'll show you to your room, and later I'll have the boys take you into town to the inn." Pinako turned and was heading into the kitchen when Maddison spoke up once again.

"Is that Edward always so hard-headed, or did he just wake up on the wrong side of the bed," the man sneered. Pinako frowned.

"Edward is a bit rough around the edges, but he usually warms up to people quickly. I just don't know whether he'll warm up to you lot." .

* * *

In the kitchen, Winry was excitedly throwing together a plate of scrambled eggs and toast for Edward while he worked on downing a glass of water. Al had claimed the seat on his left, and Izumi was to his right. Sid sat just right of her. Mustang and Havoc had gone into town earlier that morning, but Hawkeye had remained, and was now sitting at the end of the table nursing a cup of coffee.

"Hungry this morning, Ed?" Izumi asked curiously. Edward grinned and gave her a shrug.

"When I woke up, my insides just felt different. I think parts of my body are slowly getting back into the groove of working again," he explained and gave his stomach a rub. "And I figured it would make Winry feel better." Izumi turned to Alphonse.

"And you seem to be in much better shape today," she commented. "Got tired of being an pain in the arse?" Al blushed.

"I still have a lot of questions, but I uh… I had a dream last night. We were all going to a cemetery, and Brother's gravestone was in it, and when we were putting down flowers…" Al trailed off. A shudder ran through his body, and Edward reached over and pulled him close. "We put down these white flowers, and then all of a sudden, these monsters started climbing up through the ground. At first they looked like the little spirits that cluster around the Gate. But then they started to morph into the dolls from Central, and then they started to look like Brother. But they were dead, with rotting flesh falling off of their bones. And now… I just don't want Brother to leave me again…" he finished with a whisper. Edward hugged him tighter.

"I'm not going anywhere, Al. How about after breakfast, we go out and wreak some alchemic terror in the backyard," the older Elric grinned encouragingly. Al nodded in excitement. Izumi smirked.

"You better not mess with my flower beds!" Pinako warned them as she strode into the kitchen. "Ed, you be careful around those people. You know better than anyone how desperate people can be when they've lost a loved a loved one. I don't want you to get hurt because of their desperation," the small woman told him. Edward nodded and gave her a small, sad smile. At that moment, Winry placed a plate filled with jam-covered toast and fluffy scrambled eggs in front of him, and another in front of Alphonse.

"Eat," she ordered. Edward took a bite of a slice of his toast, chewed for a second, then grinned up at his childhood friend, displaying two rows of jam and crumb-covered teeth. She huffed and gave him a playful smack on the back of the head.

"Right then. Al, hurry up and eat so we can go have our way with the old bat's yard!"

* * *

At half past noon, Sonia approached Edward for a second time. He was laying on the grass beside Alphonse, who was curled up on his side in the midst of a nap. The older blonde squinted at the young widow with a frown on his lips.

"Mr. Elric, please, I'm only asking because I have nothing else," she whispered, tears welling in her chocolate eyes. Edward sat up, cross-legged, and gestured for her to sit beside him. She lowered herself to the ground, folding her legs beneath her, very ladylike.

"Tell me about your boy," he asked her. She wiped her eyes with the knuckle of her appendage-less hand.

"He was only six. He was out playing with his friends-"

"Not how he died. Tell me about him. What he was like." She stared at him for a moment, surprised.

"Well, he looked… just like his father. Strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes. Kale was always so happy. When his father, my husband, Geoff, died from pneumonia, he really kept me going. It was like he knew I needed him to be happy while I grieved. He would pick me flowers, and make me things from the bit off alchemy Geoff had taught him. Kale was always so wonderful," Sonia sniffed out. Edward leaned back on the heels of his hands as he listened to her. "I miss him so much. I knew Geoff wasn't going to live as long as me when I married him. He always had health problems, weak lungs. When he passed, it was peaceful. But Kale… he was only a child, and all I had left of Geoff." A sob stopped her from continuing.

"My father left when I was a kid. Broke my mother's heart. She died when I was ten, and my brother was eight. It was like our entire world had been ripped away from us. A year later, we tried to bring her back to life with alchemy. I lost my arm and leg, Alphonse ended up being nothing but a soul bound to an empty suit of armor, and what we brought back from the Gate wasn't even our human," Edward confessed. Sonia stared at him with watery eyes. "I'm guessing something similar happened to you?" She nodded, brown strands of hair falling into her face.

"It had seven arms and one leg, with blood just pouring out of it. It hissed at me and spat out its own organs before it died…" Edward nodded. "It was horrifying."

"Bringing humans back to life brings nothing but pain and tragedy. So, I'm going to tell you right now, you're wasting your time here." That said, Edward stood up and nudged Al with his foot. His younger brother's big amber eyes opened sluggishly.

"Brother?"

"C'mon Al, Pinako is going to want us to lead the other visitors to the inn pretty soon," Edward said. Al nodded and pushed himself up off of the ground.

"Oh, hello, Miss Sonia," the younger greeted with a friendly smile. The crying woman smiled back, but the smile was forced. Al gave her a wave as the boys walked away, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

**Hallelujah, an update! Haha! :]**

**So there's a reason why I didn't update sooner, if anyone cares to know:**

**I graduated high school in November through Independent Study, about 6-8 months early (I'm only seventeen as of October), and in January, I started my first semester in college. So yeah, I've been a bit preoccupied. I'm enrolled in an English class, math class, and an art class. It's just community college at the moment, so not too big of a deal, but I really haven't been in the writing mood. But now, since I'm really putting off my stupid art project (making a collage out of magazine clippings – WTF? I draw anime/manga and realism, I don't make collages!), I'm suddenly in the mood to write. :]**

**On another note, I've started a Naruto fanfiction, because I like the plot idea too much to not post it before someone else comes up with the same thing. It's a shonen ai Kakashi/Iruka fic, with child!Naru and child!Sasu. :] Check it out if you're not against boylove. THIS fanfiction isn't a romance or anything so if you aren't a fan of yaoi (or het), do not worry! :P**

**LOVE, bgirlpaige :]**


	9. Drag You Down: Chapter Eight

"You're not going to help that woman get her son back, are you?" Izumi asked. Ed glanced up at her from where he had been staring out the window and shook his head 'no'. "I just thought I'd ask, since you have that new advanced form of alchemy..." She sat down beside him on the sofa. He watched her for a moment, then turned back to the window without saying a word. "Oh, you must be Truth?" She saw his eyes send her a sidelong glance. "I'm Izumi, though you probably already know that..." She spoke to him quitely, not expecting a response. After a moment, he turned back to her once more and regarded her with his sunshine-colored eyes. Then he reached out his hand to her, palm open and facing up. She stared at it curiously, then placed her own hand on top of his. He gave her a smile in response, closing his flesh fingers over hers, then turning back to the window for a final time.

"He does that..." Al's voice came from the doorway. Izumi raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Just sits there and holds your hand, doing nothing but staring out the window. It's weird..." the younger blonde mumbled. He walked over and took the empty space beside Izumi. Ed, or Truth, paid him no mind.

"It might just be a comfort thing," she suggested. Al shrugged.

"I don't like him when he's like this..." he twiddled his thumbs about. "Anyway, Ed says he won't help that woman because they're lying."

"And how are they lying? She seemed distraught, maybe they're just grieving..."

"She said her son was four years old, but then said he was six. That's a big thing to misremember... Ed says to stay away from them." Al met Izumi's eyes. "I don't think he wants any of us getting hurt." Izumi humph-ed.

"Of course he doesn't, we're his family, you idiot." Al nodded.

"But for him to say that means that they probably actually are a threat. And if they are, how is he going to protect us if he's like that?" The young man pointed at his brother. Izumi frowned.

"Alphonse... Edward was gone for three years. Something must have happened to him during that time to make him like this. He's hurting. And like I said, we're his family. I think it's time that we stopped depending on Edward to protect all of us. Perhaps it's time to protect him?" she said sternly. Al flinched and stared at his feet. Izumi sighed, her frown softening. She wrapped her unoccupied arm around the younger Elric's shoulders, squeezing reassuringly.

"I know you want your brother back to being his old self. But he's not going to be able to go back to being himself if you keep pushing him like you are. He loves you, Al, you know that. But I think you scare him when you get angry at him..."

"I scare him...?"

"As I told you before, something must have happened to him to make him like this. The way to help him get better is to be supportive of him, not yell at him to make himself better. Do you understand?" she asked. Alphonse stared up at her for a second before his eyes teared up and a small sob hitched in his throat. She sighed, pulling him into her embrace.

"Just try for him, okay, Al? That's all you need to do," she murmured softly. "It'll all be alright."

xxxxxAlphonse ended up carrying his brother up the stairs to his bedafter the older boy had dozed off amidst staring out the window at nothing. The sleeping blonde didn't wake up when he picked him up, only unconciously wrapped his arms around his Al's neck. Once he'd gotten Ed onto the bed, he tried to move away, but the arms around his neck held fast. Al frowned. He didn't want to wake the other boy up, so he shiftedthem both over til they both fit. He sighed huffily. He and Ed used to share a bed all the time, back when they were younger, before they had attempted to transmute their mother back to life.

Ed was so different, and there was clearly something going on that Izumi wasn't telling him. The question was, had Edward told her something during one of his lucid periods? Or had she figured it out on her own, but was witholding the information from him?

He didn't know which scenario he felt worse about.

He was distracted from his thought when a small noise came from his brother's throat. He glanced down at Ed's face, which was pressed against his chest. One of Ed's hands had moved fro around Al's neck to his ribcage, and was clenching the yellow fabric of his t-shirt tightly in his thin fingers. A second noise escaped, clearly a whimper.

Edward used to get nightmares, Al thought, maybe he still does? Memories from the days they were on the road, so many years ago, came flooding back. Times when, after a big fight or the death of a friend, Edward would wrap himself up tight in whatever blankets or meager clothing they had for the night, shivering and crying out for Al, their mother, Nina... and so many others. Al had been unable to comfort him, his armor would have chilled Ed to the bone.

The Ed asleep next to him on the bed whined again, face twisted in distress. His hand suddenly released Al's shirt and shot over to Ed's own shoulder, where the automail met his flesh, and clutched at the joint. He curled up and away from Al, pulling his knees in closely to his chest.

"Ed?" Al called quietly. "Ed...hey..." He reached a hand over to the side of Edward's face. Ed shied away, a small sob escaping him. "Ed, shhh..." Al tried, not sure how to offer comfort while not waking up his brother, who had been looking ragged and needed the sleep. He shifted his hand from Ed's face to his hair, stroking the gold strands gently. Instead of shying away, Ed didn't respond, then after a few minutes, leaned toward the touch. He stayed curled up, still trembling, but seemed to have calmed down for the most part.

Al had been there for half an hour, simply brushing Ed's hair with his fingertips, when the need to use the bathroom made itself known. Moving as quietly as he could, Al maneuvered himself away from Ed, who let out a small breath and curled up tighter. Giving Ed's hair one last stroke, he turned and walked out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the bathroom.

Once he had taken care of business, he went back to the bedroom to ensure that Ed was still sleeping soundly, then carried down into the kitchen to see what Winry was planning on making for supper. He stopped in the doorway when he saw that the Maddison family was sitting at the kitchen table. Sonia was drinking a cup of tea, holding it awkwardly with her stubby joints.

"Hello Mr. Elric," Jeanie greeting, lipstick-painted lips curling into a smile. Mr. Maddison stared at Al over the rim of his own cup of tea that he held to his mouth. Al nodded in greeting, giving them a small, bland smile. Ed had told him to keep his distance from this family, and Al trusted his brother's judgement, weird behavioral issues or not.

Winry came into the kitchen seconds later, carrying a basket full of tomatoes and tailed by Pinako. "Hi, Al," she smiled. Alphonse smiled back, a real smile this time.

"Need any help, Winry?" he asked. She shook her head.

"We're just going to make some tomato sauce, super easy," she told him.

"We already offered to help. We got the same answer," Jeanie laughed.

"Is Ed asleep?" Pinako asked as she searched through the cupboards. After shifting some things around, she pulled out a large pot.

"Yeah, I put him up in his bedroom. He seemed really tired.""I think the commotion of the past week has been draining for him," Winry said. "After being gone so long, it's probably been difficult for him to get back to normality."

"How long was he gone?" Sonia asked softly.

"For three whole years," Pinako answered. "Which, as long as we're on the topic, is a fact that we'd appreciate you keeping quiet. Ed's return may warrant some unwanted attention, and we don't think he is healthy enough at this point to deal with the uproar it may cause."

"Oh, we would't want to cause you any trouble," Sonia said, cheeks flushing. Pinako eyed her for a second before carrying on with prepping the tomatoes. "You have all been so nice. We wish we could pay you for your hospitatlity." Jeanie agreed with her duaghter, while Mr. Maddison stayed silent, concentrating on his tea.

The kitchen filled with the sounds of clanging pots and chopping knives. Alphonse took a seat at the table, nearest to Sonia and furthest from Mr. Maddison. A quiet conversation picked up between the Maddison family, who appeared to enoy discussing things as mundane as the weather outside. Al was lost in his own thoughts for a while, until Winry's voice drew him back to reality.

"Edward?" Al looked over to Winry, then followed her gaze to the doorway. His brother stood in the opening, his odd hands clenched over his ears and tears cascading down his cheeks. "Ed, what's wrong?"

"Brother?" Alphonse said worriedly. Ed pulled his hands away from his ears and stared doown at his palms. They were covered in blood.

"Edward!" Winry exclaimed, dropping the tomato she was holding and rushing over. Ed used his left hand to brush at the tears on his face, smearing blood across his cheek as a result. She quickly inspected his ears, then his hands, just as another trail of blood started to trickle from underneath his nose. Pinako hurried over, grabbing him by the chin examining his face.

"Something is strange with his eyes," she announced. Al, having stood up and made his way over to Ed, leaned in to see for himself.

Edward's pupils were incredibly dilated, and the iris that was still visible was flickering between gold and yellow. "Ed, sweetheart, where does it hurt?" the little woman asked. Ed stared at her blankly. "Does your head hurt? What's the matter?"

Ed lifted his automail hand and placed his index finger against his temple. For a second, he remained still, but then soft white lights began to flow from his hand to his head.

"That's alchemy," Al whispered.

"Ed, wait, don't do anything to hurt yourself!" Winry gasped. Ed's eyes only closed with lack of response. "Edward!"

"Winry, shush! Al, run and get Izumi, she should be out in the garden. Hurry!" Pinako instructed. Al turned and booked it out the front door, sprinting around the corner of the house to the small garden where Izumi was picking basil plants out of the ground.

"Teacher! Something is wrong with Brother!" He cried. Izumi turned, dropping her gardening tools. "He's in the kitchen with Winry and Aunty."

"Hurry, Alphonse," Izumi told him. She followed him back to the front door. When they reached the kitchen, they found that Ed was now collapsed on the floor, laying on his back with his entire automail palm pressed to the side of his head. Izumi crouched beside him.

"Edward?" She reached up and pulled one of Edward's eyes open slightly. His pupil was still blown, and the iris had lightened to a very, very pale, almost-white yellow. "Ed! If you can hear me, squeeze my hand once," she instructed, grasping on to his flesh hand. Ed's body only trembled, his hand didn't move. "Ed, please, squeeze my hand if you can hear me!" Still no response. Izumi leaned down closer to the young man. " Truth, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." For a moment, nothing, but then the small fingers tightened around her own small hand, just briefly.

"Okay, he's responsive, barely. That's a good sign," she told them.

"What did you call him?" Winry asked. Izumi brushed her off when Ed began seizing.

"Roll him onto his side!" She and Al pushed Ed over so he was laying on his left side, automail hand still pressed to his head. "We don't want him to choke."

"What's happening, why is he having a seizure?" Winry cried as she tried to hold Ed's legs still.

"I don't know. Al, did he eat or drink anything strange?" Izumi asked. Al shook his head.

"He hasn't been eating very much, and he really only likes water. Did someone do something to him?" Al had to force himself to refrain from glancing toward the Maddisons, who were on their feet and looking on worriedly. Izumi shook her head.

"I don't know, Al..." she trailed off as Ed began to still. The slivers of light from Ed's alchemy faded, and his hand slipped away from his head. He was panting, gasping for air and covered in blood, sweat, and tears. Al reached up to stroke his brother's hair like he had earlier in hopes to calm him down. Izumi rubbed his chest gently, making shush-ing noises with her mouth. Pinako checked Ed's vitals. Winry fetched a wet rag to clean up the blood that had been smeared across his face and neck.

After a couple minutes, the boy's distress lessened, and he cracked his eyes open, the irises a bright, dandelion yellow. His mouth gaped open.

"Ehh... Ehhh..." he breathed. "Eh-Dehh..."

"Ed?" Izumi guessed. The boy nodded.

"G-guuh.. gun..."

"Gun?" Winry whispered. Izumi shook her head.

"He's saying 'gone'. 'Ed's gone'," she told them. Truth, in Ed's body, nodded at her. He let out another raspy breath, then his eyes slid shut and he fell unconscious.

"Brother?" Al whispered, voice shaky.

"Take him back up to bed, Al, please," the dreadlocked woman instructed.

"But what just happened?" Alphonse asked, eyes tearing up. He gently gathered Ed's thin form in his arms. Izumi shook her head.

"I'll talk to you about it later, but not now. We should get him taken care of first." She stood and made her way up the stairs, Al close behind her with Ed. They left Pinako and Winry in the kitchen with the stunned Maddisons. Izumi made a detour into the bathroom to wet a washcloth with warm water and to pick up another towel. Al was laying Ed down on the bed when she reached the bedroom. She helped Alphonse rid Ed of his bloody shirt, and after cleaning the rest of the blood and sweat fom his face, neck, and chest, they dressed him in one of Al's shirts. Izumi noticed that Al's clothes were much to big for Edward.

"What happened to him?" Al whispered, staring at his brother's still form. Edward seemed to not breathe at all, only letting out a gasp of air every few minutes to indicate he was still alive.

"Your brother has been going through some difficult things lately. Some things that he has asked me not to share, but you should know... that the part of Ed that's been quiet and strange, he's not Ed."

"Not Ed?" Al repeated, confused. Izumi nodded.

"He's another personality. Edward told me... a story of what had happened to him when he was gone. I don't know if it's true or not. If it is, then Edward may be in some sort of trouble, but if it's not true... I'm afraid Ed might be more damaged than we ever could have anticipated, and... this is his way of coping with it..." Izumi pressed a hand to her forehead.

"He's coping with it... by inventing a new person to be?" Al whispered.

"Haven't you noticed how he switches back and forth whenever he is under emotional distress? When one personality can't handle what it's up against, the other takes over until presented with an issue it can't handle, and then they switch again. That way they each have time to recover from whatever is stressing them out. I've seen it before, when I was a girl, a friend I had suffered from the same thing."

"So it's a coping mechanism..."

"If he isn't telling the truth. And there isn't a way to tell, since he probably believes that that is the truth."

"So how do we fix him?"

Izumi sighed, "I don't know, Al. I don't know..."


	10. Drag You Down: Chapter Nine

Ed slept for twenty four hours, not moving except to turn his head every once in a while. Alphonse and Winry checked on him every quarter hour, just to reassure themselves that Edward hadn't left them once again. Izumi, though, had suspicions that when the boy woke up, it wouldn't be Ed.

_"Ehh... Ehhh..." he breathed. "Eh-Dehh..."_

_"Ed?" Izumi guessed. The boy nodded. _

_"G-guuh.. gun..."_

Ed's Gone. She was sure of it. The Truth personality, still unable to speak normally, had tried his hardest to get a message through to her before losing conciousness. Now they had even more to worry about. The possibility of Ed being mentally damaged was going to be a problem enough on its own, but dealing with a generally unresponsive personality that had suddenly managed to manifest itself as the dominant personality?

And what if Truth wasn't a personality? If Truth really was the _Truth_, what did that mean for Edward? He could be trapped in a different dimension, swallowed up by the Gate. Or, as Ed had called it, _Eliminated_. He could really be _gone_ this time.

"Teacher?" Izumi looked up from her spot on the couch. Al was in the doorway. "Ed is still asleep. Aunty says he's just asleep." Winry appeared behind Al.

"He'll be okay, Al. He always is," she said as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Al's face darkened, and he flinched away from her.

"Like hell he is! Look at him! He isn't okay! And he sure as hell wasn't before! He was gone for three years, Winry, and even before that! You weren't ever there to see how okay he wasn't!" the younger boy yelled. Winry frowned.

"Al-"

"You have no idea how many nights he spent, screaming and crying from night terrors. I saw it all! And I couldn't even help him because I was stuck in that blasted tin can! He hasn't ever been okay, neither of us have!" he cried, big tears welling up and rolling down his floushed cheeks. He turned to run out of the house, but barrelled right into one Mr. Maddison.

"Goodness, boy, watch where you're going," the man growled. Al sneered at him, pushed past, and disappeared through the doorway. Maddison glared after him, then turned to the women. "I was hoping to inquire about Mr. Elric's health," he grumbled.

"Edward isn't awake yet," Winry told him. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Have you tried to wake him up?" he asked monotonously. Both Izumi and Winry scowled.

"The seizure Edward has experienced was very taxing on his body. We think it is better to let the boy sleep," Izumi told him. The man 'harumph'-ed and spun around, exiting the sitting room.

"They're a strange family," Winry commented absently as they watched him go.

xxxxx

_Truth wrapped is arms around himself as he walked through the vast plane of darkness towards where the Guardian resided. It was quiet, a silence Truth hadn't had to deal with since Edward had joined him in the Gate. The blonde man was always talkative, purely to fill the unending silence they were both uncomfortable with. Now that that silence had returned, Truth was reminded of just how unpleasant it was. To be all alone, with no noise and nothing to look. Truth could always summon a visual of what was going on beyond the Gate, in the real world that Edward had come from, but that was taxing and it was disheartening to watch people experience what you couldn't. It made the loneliness overwhelming._

_A small light appeared in the distance. He was getting close to the Gate's entrance, where the Guardian would be waiting for him. As he drew closer, the light grew, and soon he could he an outline of the Gate's massive doors. And standing in front of them..."I've been waiting for you," the Guardian grinned. Truth scowled at him. "What, I can't be happy to see my favorite little-""Stop, be quiet," Truth cut him off, trying to put an edge in his voice._

_"Aww, c'mon, Truthie," the shorter spirit laughed. He bared his sharp teeth. "What can I do for you, old friend?" _

_"I need to knnow what happened just now," Truth told him. _

_"Whatever do you mean?"_

_"You know what I mean! Edward was ripped away from me! I can't find him, I need to know that he's alright! His family is worried about him!"_

_"I don't have anything to do with that! I warned you! I warned you, when you two idiots came begging me for his body back, that I didn't know if you could successfully share a physical body between two souls! You both were obviously unstable and the body fixed itself. I warned you both, and now you come crawling back to me-"_

_"It wasn't our body that did that, it was something else. He was torn out, not pushed away! And now I need your help!" _

_"I gave you help already, and not even for a price! If you want any more help, it's going to cost you!" Guardian snarled. Truth glared right back. "No more freebees."_

_"Fine." Truth crossed his arms, standing his ground. "What could you possibly want from me that you can't get yourself?" he asked. Guardian's mouth widened in a frightening smile._

_"Hmm... what do I want..." he laughed, stepping closer to Truth. He lifted one hand and reached toward the taller being's face. One small finger poked him in the forehead. "What do you think I want, Truthie?"_

**XXXXX**

"Oh, Edward," Winry gasped when the young man appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes with the thumb and forefinger on his human hand. "Are you feeling alright?" she blinked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Well why don't you come and try to eat something. I know you don't like food right now, but after an episode like that, you're going to need it." She ladelled some beef stew into a bowll for him. He took a seat at the table where Izumi, Al -who was looking worse for wear, and Sonia Maddison were slowly spooned a few mouthfuls to his lips, swallowing as if he was trying to down a ball of cotton.

"We were worried about you, Mr. Elric," Sonia spoke up. Edward didn't spare her a glance. "My mother told me she has seen people never wake up fro something like that. They just sleep for the rest of their lives."

"That'd be a horrible way to survive," Izumi growled. She turned to Winry."Would you let Pinako know that I'm going into town with Sig today? I don't want to wake her up. If she needs anything, she can call the butchershop, we'll be there for a while. sig wants to speak with the owner about business," she said. Winry nodded.

"If you wouldn't mind picking up some coffee grounds, we'd really appreciate it," the girl replied. She was moving dishes from the table to the sink. Al silently stood up to help her wash them. Ed was staring distastefully into the half-eaten bowl of stew.

"I wish I could be of some help to you," Sonia said quietly. She stared down at her missing appendages.

"Oh, don't you worry about it, Miss Sonia," Winry assured her. "We have plenty of helpers around here, you just relax." Sonia blushed, still looking down at her hands. Izumi eyed her from her side of the table for a moment before standing up."Miss Sonia, would you like to accompany me into town? I could use some companionship while my husband talks shop," she asked. Sonia's gaze jumped up to her.

"Oh, oh yes, I'd be happy to," she nodded, smiling. "I'll just grab my hat!" Izumi returned the smile half-heartedly. She turned to Edward."Edward, you need to keep resting. Alphonse, make sure Ed stays put!" Al nodded, looking determined. Ed didn't even look up from his bowl of stew. Izumi sighed. Sonia stood and hurried up the stairs to the room she and her parents were staying in.

Fifteen minutes later, after Sonia had had to borrow a hat from the Rockbells when she couldn't locate her own, they were on their way down the road. It was a half hour walk into town, and the buther's was about ten minutes down the main street. Sonia and Izumi made small talk on the way there, and decided to get some lunch while Sig was occupied. Izumi chose a cafe' nearby with an outdoor seating area.

"This is such a nice place," Sonia gushed, looking around. "The town is wonderful, and the Rockbell's farm is beautiful."

"Yes, I do enjoy coming out here. The people are nice as well," Izumi carried on. Sonia nodded. A young busboy brought water to their table. Izumi waited for him to be a good distance away before turning to Sonia. "It would be a shame if something bad happened to those nice people," she said to the younger woman. Sonia blinked at her.

"Are they in danger?" she asked. Izumi tilted her head slightly.

"Why don't you tell me? We know that there's something that... stinks... about your family," Izumi told her. The color drained from Sonia's already pale face.

"I-I don't-"

"You do. You do know what I'm talking about. Edward himself has told us to be wary of your family, and he isn't usually a very good judge of character, so if even he can see that something is off with the Maddisons... something is very off." Izumi stared her down. Sonia looked frightened, but then her features shifted as if she was trying to put on a brave face.

"That's absurd, we've done nothing wrong! And Mr. Elric has been sick! It must be paranoia-"

"You couldn't remember how old your son was!" Izumi cut her off. She flinched. The older woman carried on. "When you first came here, you said your son was six years old when he died, but then you told Edward that Kale was four years old when the accident happened. So which is it? Did you lose a four-year-old or a six-year-old, or did you even lose a child at all?" Izumi had to restrain herself from shouting. Tears were welling up in Sonia's eyes.

"My son died-"

"I'm beginning to think you don't even have son."

"I did have a son!" Sonia shrieked, standing up so abruptly her chair fell over. "I did have a son and he died and the Maddisons told me they would help me get him back!" she cried. Izumi frowned up at her. Tears spilled down the woman's face, and she began to sob. Some of the other patrons in the cafe' were glancing over at their table. Izumi sighed.

"Sit down," she instructed gently. Sonia righted her chair while rubbing the salty water off of her face. A sniffle escaped her.

"I r-really, really-" she gasped, trying to speak through her sudden crying."You really did have a son, and the Maddisons have promised you'd get him back if you helped them? You're probably not even related to them." Sonia nodded, fingerless hands pressed to her face. Izumi leaned back in her chair, taking pity on the woman. "So why don't you tell me exactly what's going on."

Sonia had to sip at her water for a few moments before she could speak."My son... his name was Kale, really. He wasn't a baby, though, he was fourteen when he died from pneumonia four months ago..."

"Then why would you tell us that he was-"

"Stuart said it would help us gain sym-sympathy...if I'd lost a baby... That Mr. Elric has a soft-spot for kids..." she sniffed. "And he said that it would h-help if Kale had been k-killed in an accident..."

"And what about your husband?" Izumi asked. Sonia shook her head.

"It was only ever me and Kale, I never had a husband... " she whispered. "I had Kale when I was eighteen, and his father left a few weeks later. K-Kale was all I had..." Izumi sighed sadly.

"I know what it's like to lose a child. But bringing him back with alchemy-"

"I never tried to bring him back with alchemy," Sonia interrupted. "I was born with these hands, my fingers weren't taken from me. That's another reason Stuart wanted me to help them so badly..."

"Wait a minute. If you never tried to bring your son back with alchemy, then why is the Maddison family trying to convince the Fullmetal Alchemist to help you get your son back?" Izumi asked, eyebrows furrowing. Sonia sighed.

"Stuart Maddison lost his own son two months ago when they tried to use alchemy to make a human. A human transmutation, right? He lost his son when Stuart himself got scared during the process and quit. But his son kept going, and he disappeared. Now the Maddisons are doing what the can to get him back." Sonia sighed, sniffling a bit. "Even if it means forcing Mr. Elric to help them..."

The two women were silent, Sonia sulking in her chair and Izumi mulling over what she had just been told. The same waiter came back to take their orders, then left with a smile. Izumi finished drinking the water in her glass before speaking again.

"Why Edward? Why are they so insistent on Edward's assistance?" she asked quietly.

"Stuart said... that someone spoke to him, while he was in the middle of the transmutation. A strange person in front of two big doors..."

"The Gate..."

"The person had told him to get lost, and that only one alchemist had ever gotten in and out, and that he wouldn't let anyone past ever againal. That alchemist was apparently Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. So Stuart made it his mission to find Mr. Elric and make him help him get his son back.

I met Stuart's wife, Jeanie, at the market in Central one day, she helped me pick up a bag I had dropped. She offered me a ride home, and I accepted. We got to talking, and they asked for my help. Stuart told me I would see Kale again... As soon as he got to see Henry again..."

"Do you know who the Maddison's were trying to bring back before Stuart's son was taken?"

"They weren't trying to bring anyone back," Sonia said quietly. "Jeanie said... Jeanie said they were trying to _create_ somebody..." Izumi groaned. Sonia glanced up at her, confused. "Is that really so bad? Surely it would be easier than bringing someone back to life-""Human transmutation, any form of it, is monstrous and incredibly dangerous. A soul cannot be created, or recreated, or pulled back from beyond where it has gone. It creates monsters. And if the Maddisons were trying to create something, it means that we have a group of lunatics on our hands." Izumi trailed off as their food was delivered. She sighed. "Edward shouldn't be dealing with these people right now," she said once the waiter had left again. "He was missing for three years, we thought he was dead. Now he's back, but he's not the same. He has some emotional damage, and this kind of thing might have a negative effect on his healing. Not too mention these people might be dangerous..." Two of her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. "When we get back to the farm, I'm going to have to speak to the Rockbells about the Maddisons staying there." She looked up at Sonia.

"We can arrange a trip for you to get back to Central. You don't seem to be a threat, but since you lied to us, I won't have any choice but to let you leave quietly, or have the Rockbells throw you out.""...I... understand..." Sonia told her softly, picking up her fork to pick at her food.

**XXXXX**

Al led Edward back up to the bedroom once his brother had managed to stomach almost the entire bowl of stew. Edward looked exhausted and absent, like he was stuck inside his head. Al didn't think was an improbable possibility. He sat the older boy on the bed and told him to take off the shirt he'd been in for the past day and a half. Ed did so numbly, then lifted his arms when Al asked him to. The new shirt slid on, catching on the grooves of Ed's automail.

"I wish I could help you more, Brother..." Al whispered. Ed's head lifted at the sound of his sibling's voice, but he didn't respond, not even smiling one of his calm smiles he had taken to doing whenever he wanted to acknowledge someone who had spoken to him. "I just don't know where to start," Alphonse continued. "Winry is really worried. She's trying to be nice, but I can tell. You probably can to..." He lifted his hand to Ed's hair, trying to straighten out the tangles. "Teacher thinks you might be damaged. Especially since you won't tell anyone where you've been. But you know... If someone hurt you, we'll find them. We'll make them take responsibility for what they've done..." His fingers caught in a partcularly tight snarl. Ed squeaked when it pulled. Al jumped.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to, I'll try to be more gentle..." They sat in silence for a while. Al was mostly through Ed's hair when the older boy turned to face him.

"Eh-d..." Alphonse's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Edward to try to talk when he was like this. "Huh... Rrr..." he coughed.

"Hey, shh... if it's hard to talk, do you think you could write it down?" Al asked, brushing Ed's overgrown bangs away from his face. Ed shook his head. "You don't know how to write? How about... alchemy? Could you use that to communicate?" Al suggested. Ed's tired eyes widened. "Yes? We could go outside, you could use the ground like you did when you first showed us your alchemy." Ed looked confused at that, but he nodded anyways. "Okay. Why don't you rest a bit longer, and then we'll go. I don't want you to pass out again or anything," Al told him with a small smile. Ed nodded again, returning the expression. He lifted his arms and leaned towards Al. Alphonse stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then realized the older boy's intentions. He leaned in and wrapped his arms lightly around his brother. Ed squeezed him gently, burying his face in Al's shoulder.

"I... I really did miss you, Brother... and I'm sorry for being a jerk," he whispered. Ed hummed lightly, tightening his hug.

**Does this sound choppy? Sorry if it's choppy.**

**Also the format might be weird. This is typed on my tablet using a sketchy word program lol.**

**Enjoy.**


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